Chrysanthemum plant named ‘Maia’

ABSTRACT

A Chrysanthemum plant named &#39;Maia&#39; characterized by its medium sized blooms with pink ray florets and prolific branching, natural season flower date August 18-23, blooming for a period of 5 weeks.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

‘Maia’ is a product of a breeding and selection program for outdoor pot mums (garden mums) which had the objective of creating new Chrysanthemum cultivars with a decorative type flower, a natural season flower date around August 18-23, blooming for a period of 5 weeks. The new plant of the present invention comprises a new and distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plant ‘Maia’ is a seedling resulting from the open pollination among groups of Chrysanthemum cultivars maintained under the control of the inventor for breeding purposes. The new and distinct cultivar was discovered and selected as one flowering plant by Mark Roland Boeder on a cultivated field in Rijsenhout Holland in August 2001. The plant has been asexually reproduced by cuttings in greenhouses at Rijsenhout Holland. The new cultivar has been found to retain its distinctive characteristics through successive propagations.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention of a new and distinct variety of Chrysanthemum is shown in the accompanying drawings, the color being as nearly true as possible with color photographs of this type.

FIG. 1 shows a plant of the cultivar in full bloom.

FIG. 2 shows the various stages of bloom and foliage of the new cultivar.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The new variety of Chrysanthemum is of the botanical classification Chrysanthemum morifolium. The observations and measurements were gathered from plants grown out door in Rijsenhout, Holland under natural day length and temperature and planted in week 23 in 2002. The natural blooming date of this crop was August 18-23 (week 34). The average height of the plants was 35 cms. No growth retardants were used. No tests were done on disease or insect resistance or susceptibility. No tests were done on cold or drought tolerance. This new variety produces medium sized blooms with pink ray florets and a purple/yellow center blooming for a period of 5 weeks. From the cultivar known to inventor the most similar existing cultivar in comparison to ‘Maia’ is ‘Cefreya’ (U.S. Plant patent application Ser. No. 10/316,870). When ‘Cefreya’ and ‘Maia’ are being compared the following differences are noticed. The differences of ‘Cefreya’ and ‘Maia’ are (1) Color of bloom. ‘Cefreya’ has salmon-coral colored ray florets, while those of ‘Maia’ are dark pink. (2) Longitudinal axis of majority of ray florets. The axis is reflexing to twisted in ‘Cefreya’, while it is straight in ‘Maia’.

The following is a description of the plant and characteristics that distinguish ‘Maia’ as a new and distinct variety. The color designations are taken from the plant itself. Accordingly, any discrepancies between the color designations and the colors depicted in the photographs are due to photographic tolerances. The color chart used in this description is: The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, edition 1995.

TABLE 1 Botanical Description of cultivar ‘Maia’ Bud Size Small; cross-section 0.8 cm, height 0.7 cm Outside Color Greyed-green 192A Involucral bracts 2 rows, length 7 mm, width 3 mm Involucral bracts among Not present disc-florets Involucral bracts color Greyed-green 194A Bloom Type Decorative Size medium Fully Expanded 6 cm Peduncle length 9 cm Peduncle color Green 138B Number of blooms per Approx. 9 blooms per branch branch Performance on the plant 5 weeks Seeds Produced in small quantities, ovate grey- brown 199A, 1½ mm in length. Fragrance Typical chrysanthemum, slightly Color Center of the flower Immature Red-purple 60B Mature Yellow 13A Color of upper surface of Red-purple 60D to Greyed-purple 186B the ray-florets Color of the lower surface Greyed-purple 186D of the ray-florets Tonality from Distance A garden mum with pink flowers Color of upper surface Greyed-purple 186C ray florets at aging of the plant Ray florets Texture Upper and under side smooth Number 120-140 Cross-section Flat Longitudinal axis of Straight majority Length of corolla tube 0.5 cm Ray-floret margin Entire Ray-floret length 3.1 cm Ray-floret width 0.8 cm Ratio length/width Medium Shape of tip Rounded Disc florets Disc diameter 0.5 cm Distribution of disc Few, present only in mature stage florets Shape Tubular Color Yellow-green 145C Receptacle shape Conical raised Reproductive Organs Stamen Present in disc florets only Stamen color Yellow-green 144A Pollen Produced in small amount Pollen color Yellow 7A Styles Thick Style color Yellow 13A Style Length 4 mm Stigma color Yellow-green 144A Stigma Width 1 mm Ovaries Enclosed in calyx Plant Form A garden mum outdoor mounded and round Growth habit Spreading Growth rate High Height 35 cm Width 40 cm Stem Color Yellow-green 148B with streaks of Greyed-red 182B Stem Strength Strong Stem Brittleness Not brittle Stem Anthocyanin Present Coloration Internode length 2.5 cm Length of lateral branch From top to bottom 18 cm Lateral branch color Yellow-green 147C with streaks of Greyed-red 182B Lateral branch, attachment Strong Branching (average number Good with 10 breaks after pinching of lateral branches) Natural season blooming August 18-23 date Foliage Leaf color Upper side Green 138A Under side Green 138B Color midvein Upper side Yellow-green 145C Under side Yellow-green 147D Size Small; length 4.5 cm, width 2.8 cm Quantity (number per 16-18 lateral branch) Shape Obovate Texture upper side Glabrous Texture under side Pubescent Venation arrangement Palmate Shape of the margin Serrated Shape of Base of Sinus Rounded Between Lateral Lobes Margin of Sinus Between Diverging Lateral Lobes Shape of Base Obtuse Apex Mucronate Petiole length 1 cm Petiole color Yellow-green 145C

TABLE 2 Differences with the comparison variety ‘Maia’ ‘Cefreya’ Color of the upper surface of Red-purple 60D Red 37B the ray florets Longitidunal axis of majority Straight Reflexing to twisted of ray florets 

I claim:
 1. A new and distinct variety of Chrysanthemum plant as described and illustrated. 